Lifestyle Archives - Page 42 of 74

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Want to start studying but aren’t sure where to go? Western has multiple areas on campus for students to comfortably do classwork. From residence halls to the public buildings, here are some areas to check out.

Hamersly Library is located in between the Old Education building and the Richard Woodcock Education Center, and has three floors available for students to study. The main floor contains small study areas along with a small computer lab. In addition, the Press is located towards the back for students to grab a cup of coffee before working on homework. People can talk at a normal volume on this floor, while the second and third floors are reduced to whispering and total silence, respectively. Both floors have open areas to sit and work and tables with desktops, as well as private study and conference rooms that can be reserved for larger groups. For late night studiers, there’s a 24-hour computer lab area near the front entrance.

The Werner University Center is near the center of campus; the top floor consists of a few dining options for students as well as the WolfStore, but the lower level has a large area for students to lounge and study. The bottom floor has many couches and chairs situated around tables in clusters of four to six. There’s also taller counters sprinkled around, along with smaller tables pressed against the walls. The upper floor does provide a little group of couches and chairs to study, and students are free to work on assignments in the Wolf Grill dining area.

The RWEC, located next to the library, serves as the building for most of the ASL and education classes, but also has compact study areas at each end of the building on both floors. At the front entrance, there are couches near a fireplace, so students can stay warm and cozy while studying. Upstairs, there is a large wooden table for bigger study groups to gather, swinging egg chairs to sit in and a little corner nook with a wrap-around couch and a table — great for secluded studying. At the far end of both floors, there are couches, tables and chairs placed miscellaneously around for use.

Various residence halls on campus — such as Ackerman Hall and Heritage Hall — have multiple study areas for students living in the building. For instance, Ackerman’s lobby area has private rooms that people are free to claim for individual studying or for groups, and can be accessed when the residence hall is unlocked for those who don’t live there. The doors lock at 10 p.m.

Try exploring the other buildings on campus as well, as there can be other areas students find ideal for studying that aren’t mentioned.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

First photo by Cora McClain

Second photo by Rylie Horrall

The Western Howl

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How to utilize time gaps in a class schedule

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

In a perfect world, our classes would always align with our preferred times and schedules. As many students know, however, schedules rarely end up as such. The “awkward class gap,” usually an hour or two, is a common experience in which there’s just enough time between classes for it to drag on, but for most, it’s just barely too short to dive into something more productive. There are options, though, that don’t require too much focus for those that aren’t sure how to use the in-betweens.

Read over notes: Sometimes full on studying doesn’t feel like an option during this time, especially for those that might study better at home and live off campus. Just taking a quick glance at notes, however, will help the information sink in, leaving less studying to do later.

Update your planner: The syllabus usually has a calendar, but it’s not uncommon for unforeseen circumstances to change the schedule up a bit. Things can change often in personal and professional lives as well, so taking a few extra minutes to make sure everything is still set straight can help with feeling more prepared.

Browse classes for next term: An option for pretty much everyone except seniors in their last term, making a rough drafts of schedules to come may not be very pressing at all times, but it may come in handy when the next registration date rolls around. Spring Term registration starts on Feb. 25.

Take a power nap: It’s not uncommon to hear at least one person say “I’m so tired” at least once a day, or hear stories of a term paper that took most of the night. Power naps may not be a solution, but they can certainly temper the problem. Many students live on or near campus, and even some that don’t are willing to crash for a few minutes in their car or reserve some time in the Rest and Relaxation room on in the Student Health and Counseling Center.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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Stylizing learning

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

If school teaches it’s attendees anything, it’s that the same thing doesn’t work for everyone. Whether it’s studying, writing or creating presentations, different people choose to tackle the task differently. These usually relate to learning styles and how they’re used. For students, understanding personal learning style can be especially helpful when finals come around. Fortunately, there are a number of ways that learning styles can be assessed and therefore utilized.

VARK is one way of assessing learning style. According to vark-learn.com, the acronym stands for Visual, Audal, Read/write and Kinesthetic. The website offers a questionnaire to help determine which of these most effectively conveys information to different people. Though it doesn’t explain how each type should study, it does give an idea of how studying a topic might make it stick more.

For example, visual learners would learn better from charts or diagrams while a read/write person would absorb it better by reading about the topic. For audal students, they learn best by hearing information — for example, during lectures — and kinesthetic learning students benefit most from demonstrations.

Another theory is that of human behavior specialist Scott Black, according to skillsyouneed.com. This way of approaching learning styles is slightly more complicated, with eight instead of four. They are: linguistic, or writing, reading and listening; naturalist, or interacting with and observing the environment; musical/rhythmic, or using rhythms such as whistling or tapping to focus; kinesthetic, or learning by doing; visual/spatial, or using visual aides; logical/mathematical, or categorization and finding patterns; interpersonal, which relates information to others; and intrapersonal, or processing better alone.

This longer list delves slightly deeper into psychology. While learning and separating all the terminology may be more intimidating, it might be especially beneficial to look into for students who are undecided or questioning their major or career as each learning style includes a description as the types of jobs that correlate strongly with it. For example, a kinesthetic learner might consider a job that requires hands-on experience, while a logical learner could thrive in a technical field.

College life is known by many to be a time of great stress, but also of self-discovery. For some, this just means adapting their method of studying — for example, watching a demonstration video instead of reading more paragraphs on a subject. Once an understanding is reached on how information is best processed for each individual, it may help ease the stress that comes with acquiring new knowledge.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

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Which WOU Instagrams to follow

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

DISCLAIMER: There are some Instagrams I may have missed, so this shouldn’t be treated as a completely comprehensive list. I also opted to not use pages that have not been updated within the last year or so.

Instagram is a very commonly used app for people, businesses, schools and more. This applies to Western as well, as the university has many different handles it uses for multiple things that occur on campus. Here is a list of the Instagram handles that Western has.

@wounews : the official Instagram page for Western
@westernoregonuniversity : Admissions Office
@wouhonors : Western’s Honors Program
@aswou : Associated Students of Western Oregon University
@woualumni : a page for Alumni to receive information on reunions and throwback posts
@woucampusrecreation : Western’s campus recreation
@woumail : Western’s mailroom and services
@woulibrary : Hamersly Library
@wou_shcc : Student Health and Counseling Center
@wouwolfstore : WolfStore
@wou.bites : Western’s Campus Dining
@thewesternhowl : Western’s newspaper
@nwponline : the Northwest Passage, Western’s art and literary journal
@wou.plusteam : information on PLUS Team, SOAR and New Student Week
@wouwolves : official Instagram for Western Athletics
@wouclubsports : official page for Western Club Sports
@wou_imsports : Intramural Sports
@woucheerleading : Cheerleading Team
@woulax : Men’s Lacrosse
@westernoregonmensrugby : Men’s Rugby
@wou_xctf : Cross Country and Track and Field teams
@wou_soccer : Soccer Team
@wou_danceteam : Dance Team
@wouwsocclub : Women’s Soccer Club
@wousoftball : Softball Program
@wou_mens_clubsoccer : Men’s Club Soccer
@wouwbb : Women’s Basketball
@woumarchingband : Marching Band
@woucolorguard : Color Guard
@wou_internationalclub : International Club
@unidoswou : Unidos Club
@mechadewou : MEChA de WOU
@woubsu : Black Student Union
@wou_environmentalclub_garden : Environmental + Garden
@wou_mun : Model United Nations
@woumitu : Monmouth-Independence Tenants Union
@wouhawaiiclub : Hawai’i Club
@wousab : Student Activities Board
@wougsa : Gerontology Student Association
@woumathclub : Math Club
@d.r.e.a.m_wou : Disabilities Rights Empowerment Awareness Mentoring club
@woucr : College Republicans
@wou_byte_club : Byte Club
@cruatwou : CRU Club
@wouasl : ASL Club
@msuwou : Multicultural Student Union
@wou_ta : Triangle Alliance
@woudanceinfo : official page for Dance Department
@woudance_dept : student based page for Dance Department
@wou_psychpac : Psychology Peer Advising Center
@westernoregon_arotc : AROTC
@wouband : Wind Ensemble
@wouinterpretingstudies : Interpreting Studies Program
@woufinearts : Smith Fine Arts Series
@thewestofus : The West of Us A Capella Group
@wou_knights : Omega Delta Phi Fraternity
@kdchibetadelta : Kappa Delta Chi Sorority
@wou_axo : Alpha Chi Omega Sorority
@wou_kappasigma : Kappa Sigma Fraternity
@woufsc : Fraternity and Sorority Council
@wourha : Residence Hall Association
@wouhousing : University Housing
@heritage_wou : Heritage Hall
@ack_pack : Ackerman Hall
@wou_veterans : Western’s Veterans
@wou_lab : Latino Advisory Board
@woumssp : Multicultural Student Services and Programs
@wousva : Student Veterans of America
@wou_sep : Student Enrichment Program
@wougreenteam : Green Team
@wou_tac : Tree Advisory Committee
@wouserve : Western’s Alternative Break
@student_engage : Student Engagement
@wounationalstudentexchange : National Student Exchange
@wouslcd : Service Learning and Career Development

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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Don’t compromise your health, practice safe sex

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

College is a time for many people to start their journey to independence; most start making their own decisions — places they will be living, jobs they plan to pursue and various lifestyle choices, such as who they decide to be in a romantic or sexual relationship with. The majority of students had at least a small sex education lesson during their middle or high school years, but the information taught can be pretty basic without going into ways to safely practice sex.

The biggest lesson in sex ed — in my own personal experience — was to avoid pregnancy, and the easiest way to do that was through abstinence, because, to quote my high school health teacher, “it was the only way to 100% avoid pregnancy.” The topic of ways to safely have sex wasn’t touched on, but it’s important to know when deciding to participate in sexual activities.

Using a condom can be among the easiest ways to practice safe sex, as most can be found or bought generally without difficulty. The Health and Wellness Center has male condoms available for students at Western to take for free, located on a shelf in the main lobby area. Both male and female condoms can be purchased with ease at convenience stores, health centers and supermarkets.

It’s important to make sure they are being used effectively and correctly, as complications can arise if not. The risk for sexually transmitted infections increases dramatically, and potentially the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Be sure to check the expiration dates and quality to make sure they aren’t damaged or compromised in some way.

Another way to stay on top of safe sex is to get tested as often as needed. If there’s an infection to be treated from previous sexual interactions but it goes unnoticed, it can lead to health problems. Some, however, don’t have any symptoms and people could be unaware of their presence, so getting tested will help an individual to continue to be up-to-date on their health.

While participating in sexual activities, another surefire way to ensure safety isn’t jeopardized is to avoid engaging in sexual activity when inebriated. Important decisions can be forgotten while under the influence, or actions — such as putting on a condom — can be done poorly and incorrectly.

It’s important to exercise safe sex if or when engaging in sexual activity, but a final key component is to communicate with partners to secure that everyone is on the same page.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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New year, new you: how to stay on top of resolutions

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

When the end of the year rolls around, many people decide to create resolutions for the new year, whether it’s fun goals to accomplish or ways to improve the way someone is currently living. A potential problem that arises from these resolutions is accidentally or intentionally dropping them not long after declaring them. Here are some tips to try and help stay on top of those New Year’s resolutions.

A simple fix that seems to be trending is to invest in a planner; not only could that assist in planning out resolutions in general, but it can also help with staying on track for the future. By using the planner, goals can be set for each day, week or month — depending on the goal itself and how often someone feels they need to be doing it.

Alternatively, merely writing down aspirations for the new year can be effective. By creating a checklist, goals can be tracked and marked off with ease. Writing down resolutions in a notebook is a simple way to do this, or even inputting them into a checklist style note on a smartphone. A fun way to keep track of resolutions is to write each individual goal on a sticky note and place them somewhere that will be seen every day. For instance, the sticky notes can be placed on the wall, the door to the bedroom, around a mirror or miscellaneously placed across the surface of a desk.

Setting reminders on a smartphone can also be beneficial to those struggling to maintain new year objectives. By going into the calendar app, an event can be set up on a day of the person’s choosing, and it can be set to repeat whenever and however long is desired. This way, a person can check their progress each day, week or month, or it can be simply a way to remember while the resolution is still fresh and potentially forgettable.

Lastly, tell family and friends about any New Year’s resolutions so they can assist in the process of keeping them. They can provide support and encouragement when first starting out, or if a goal starts to become particularly challenging. They can serve as a pep squad of sorts to make the process of completing the objective easier, or even help with completing the goal by actively encouraging, which in turn can make the activity more enjoyable as a whole.

A final thing to keep in mind is that it’s okay to fall behind on resolutions; things can happen in life that alter plans previously made, but anyone can pick themselves back up where they left off.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

The Western Howl

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Slide, glide and skate at ice skating rinks

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

An activity that becomes popular around the winter season is ice skating, and can be a fun way to get out with friends during the holiday break. Here are a few places sprinkled around the northwest.

Lloyd Center Ice Rink is located at 953 Lloyd Center in Portland, and is directly in the center of the mall. Found right across from Macy’s on the first floor, the ice rink provides an opportunity for patrons to freestyle skate, take skating lessons or even reserve for a birthday party.

Lessons can be for people from preschool to adult level, and cost $123 for 30 minutes a week for seven weeks of classes, but is currently on sale for $113 until Jan. 4. Those who sign up for lessons get free admission to all public skating times from the sign up day through the seven weeks of lessons, along with free rental of skates on the day of class. Lessons for current registration will run from Jan. 6–Feb. 22. For advanced competitive skaters, there are 45–60 minute sessions that cost $12 for drop-ins and $105 for a 10 punch card. Admission currently for the holiday season from Dec. 14–Jan. 5 is $20 and $4 to rent skates. Their hours are Monday 11:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. but is closed on Christmas, Thursday 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–8:30 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m.–8:30 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. More information can be found at lloydice.com.

Mountain View Ice Arena, located in Vancouver, WA at 14313 Mill Plain Blvd., also has private and public lessons and availability. Potential customers have the opportunity to take private lessons for both figure skating and hockey. Each sport has different coaches available to choose from, and times that are available and fees vary from person to person. For individuals that are new to ice skating in general, their Learn to Skate program offers group lessons from four year olds to seasoned veteran skaters. Sessions are held once a week for eight or nine weeks, and are all taught by experienced skaters. The current price for public admission is about $10 with a $4 skate rental fee, and passes of various lengths can be bought for $299–$899. Their schedule varies each week and day-to-day, but generally times are from anywhere between 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Look at their website mtviewice.com for more information.

Winter Village is in Hillsboro at Jerry Willey Plaza at 943 NE Orenco Station Loop. It opened on Nov. 29 for it’s fifth season, and is an open-air ice skating area. There isn’t any online or pre-sale options to purchase at this location, however tickets are available to purchase 15 minutes before the skating session begins. General public admission costs $13 for ages 12 and older and $10 for ages 4–11. Family packages can be bought for $40; rental for skates is $5. Private sessions are available for Mondays, toddlers get to skate on Tuesdays and public skating is from 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. with schedules varying for the holidays — the rink will close early on Dec. 24 and will be closed fully on Dec. 25 for Christmas day.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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Study areas available on campus to Western students

How to utilize time gaps in a class schedule

Stylizing learning

Which WOU Instagrams to follow

Don’t compromise your health, practice safe sex

New year, new you: how to stay on top of resolutions

Slide, glide and skate at ice skating rinks

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